


The Company of Other Wizards

by EntreNous



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Brothers, Coming Out, F/M, Family, Gay Sex, M/M, Queer Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-05-28
Updated: 2008-05-28
Packaged: 2017-12-14 03:24:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/832147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EntreNous/pseuds/EntreNous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill agrees that he and Charlie will talk to Percy about whether Percy prefers the company of other wizards; Charlie has his own ideas about how he'll spend his holiday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Company of Other Wizards

Bill carefully set down Victoire on the blanket and stood, brushing off the Floo powder and fireplace soot from his trousers.

"Tea?" his mother asked, bustling to clear the Burrow's over-laden table.

"Yes, please."

"I could do with a cup myself, truth be told. What a morning this has been! I've been to the butcher for the roast, and what do I find when I come home but George and Ron eating the tarts I had made especially since Percy's visiting tonight? Well, between sending them off to deal with the garden gnomes, and setting the house to rights, I haven't had a moment to stand still."

"Da!" Victoire exclaimed. "Dadadadada!" She had filched a wooden spoon from somewhere in the time that Bill had unpacked her toys, and was using it to bang on the floor.

"Who's a happy baby?" Molly trilled. She set out cups and saucers, and plunked down a plate of biscuits before patting Victoire's fat cheek.

When Victoire suddenly let out an ear-splitting shriek, Bill half-shouted, "She's happy except for when she remembers she's cutting another tooth."

"The poor mite!" She scooped Victoire into her arms. Though it typically took Bill a full half hour of walking with a wailing baby and plying her with teething rings and his own fingers to chomp, Molly had Victoire settled and back to spoon-banging in less than a minute.

"You should do a program about this sort of thing on the Wizarding Wireless," Bill said in hushed tones when she rejoined him at the table. "I've no idea how you quiet her so quickly."

"Oh, well, you won't be doing it very often yourself much longer, will you?" Molly gave him a sidelong glance as she sipped her tea. "I expect they're anxious for you to get back to work, seeing as how you're one of Gringott's top curse-breakers. And then Fleur will manage the baby."

"Mum, I've explained this to you and Dad a half-dozen times already, not for four more months. You know that all the Curse-Breakers at Gringotts take leaves of absence after a certain period."

Molly summoned the biscuit box and laid more sweets out on the plate. "It just seems like now that you have a family of your own, you would understand how important it is to provide for them."

"We're more than all right on Fleur's salary for now."

Molly sniffed and leaned down to pop a dummy in Victoire's mouth. "I didn't realize Fleur had so little interest in raising children, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

Bill stifled his grumble with a swallow of tea. "Now, mum," he began. "I was the one to tell Fleur she should keep on with her International Wizarding Relations work once her maternity leave ended. Besides, I was overdue for the leave. I can't think of a better use for it, can you?"

"It just doesn't seem like you. You were always top of your year at Hogwarts, and so successful at Gringotts from the start."

"I don't see what that's got to do with anything. I like staying home with Victoire." When Molly got a firm set to her mouth, Bill dove into a new topic. "You mentioned something about Percy coming round tonight?"

Her eyes softened and she nodded. "He's bringing that nice girl, Audrey. If only -- I wish she would help him meet someone."

Bill stopped with his teacup halfway to his mouth. "I thought you liked her."

His mother made a tsk-ing sound. "She's a lovely girl, and your father and I like her very much. Only --" she hesitated.

"What?"

"I just want him to be happy." Her eyes filled up with tears. "He was always such a particular little boy. When he pulled away from us, I should have known!"

"Should have known what?" Bill asked.

"That he was, you know, a bit . . . " Molly's cheeks pinked. "Odd."

Bill snorted. "The only one of us to want his shirts pressed and his hair in place when he was all of seven years old, and you're only now finding him odd?"

"This isn't a laughing matter, William Arthur Weasley," she fumed. "Don't you want your brothers to be happy?"

"They seem all right," Bill returned with a wary look.

And they were, as far as he could tell. George ran Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes alone these days, and did a bang-up job of it too. He'd opened another shop in Hogsmeade, and was talking of starting owl-orders from out of France. Now that Ron had made it into the Auror training program, he'd been dropping broad hints he'd soon be announcing his engagement to Hermione. Charlie was well-regarded at the Preserve, and would be arriving the only the next day at Shell Cottage for an extended holiday his supervisor insisted he take.

As for Percy, he worked hard at the Ministry, lectured anyone who would listen about his important work drafting the new regulations for broom specifications, and as far as Bill knew, seemed to spend a great deal of his time with Audrey.

"What are you getting at, Mum?"

Molly wrung her hands. "I think he's --"

Just then Ron burst into the kitchen from outside, the smears of mud on his t-shirt a testament to his recent triumph over the garden gnomes.

"Hallo, Bill," he said, immediately heading over to the table to grab two biscuits and shove them into his mouth. "Look who's here," he said through the crumbs as he crouched down. When he picked up the baby and swung her around in the air, she spat her dummy out and shrieked her approval.

"If you don't mind --" Molly began.

"Mind what? We've finished outside, and George has left for Hogsmeade. He said to tell you he won't be round for a few days, at least as long as it takes to sort some big shipment he's expecting." Ron grinned as he tickled Victoire, but swore when she hit him with the spoon.

"You watch your mouth, Ronald! First you interrupt an important conversation I'm having with your brother, and now -- oh, just take the baby into the garden, won't you?"

"It's my first day off in weeks! You can't expect me to stay out of the kitchen and not eat just so you can talk to Bill about how Percy is queer."

"You think Percy is _gay_?" Bill exclaimed.

"Makes sense, doesn't it?" Ron gave a sage nod.

"Why, when he's dating a girl?"

"Ever seen them snog?" Ron asked. "Makes you wonder, how they never touch or act soppy. Not like any dating I've ever seen."

It was true Bill had never found Percy and Audrey clutching one another in the broom shed at the Burrow or in the guest room at Shell Cottage, as he'd discovered Ron and Hermione more than once, or even seen them laugh suggestively or lean their heads together like they were plotting something wicked, the way George and Angelina often did. "No, but Percy's private, isn't he? Ginny told me when he dated a Ravenclaw during school, no one knew about it until year's end."

"I wish it was only that," Molly broke in.

Bill shrugged. "I still don't see why you think it's not."

"Well, there's private, and then there's -- hey!" Ron made a face as Victoire spat up on his t-shirt.

Bill took Victoire from Ron, reaching automatically for a cloth to wipe her face. She made a _brrrttthhh_ sound with her lips and wound her small fist in his ponytail.

"Your father said he was too proud to admit he'd been mistaken, supporting Fudge and dismissing You-Know-Who's return, but that can't have been all keeping him away those years he set himself apart. Oh, I can't help but think this is all because of his shame at being a wizard who prefers the company of other wizards." Molly made a choked noise, raising her serviette to dab at her red eyes.

"And Percy is, well, you know." Ron mimicked Percy's stiff stance, pretended to pluck an invisible dust mote from his shirt, and made a prissy face. "Tells you all you need to know." As the shirt Ron wore featured Victoire's spit-up blotching its mud-smeared front, Bill considered Ron's impression somewhat diminished.

"He's been bringing Audrey round for ages, and not a word about them getting engaged," Molly put in. "Penelope, the girl he went with at Hogwarts, just announced she would be married next spring, and Percy didn't seem at all bothered. Why, it was almost as if he was relieved. I can't help but think he's made a show of taking these girls about to keep us from knowing the truth."

Bill slipped one of the cloths onto his shoulder, under Victoire's drooling mouth. "All right. Say he is -- does prefer the company of other wizards. It's none of our business, really, unless he wants to tell us about it."

"Of course it's our business," Molly said hotly. "And that's why I asked you to tea today."

"Oh, no," Bill said in alarm. "I'm not talking to him about it."

"You're the best one for it, really." Ron had yanked off his soiled shirt and was just pulling on a new one from the pile of fresh laundry in the corner.

"Why me? We've never been close, Percy and I. Can't George --"

"George has his hands full with WWW," Ron observed. "Besides, how do you think he'd bring up the subject? Knowing George, he'd spell it out with fireworks. _Percy, Are You An Enormous Poof, And By The Way, Everyone Already Knows_?"

"Ronald," Molly warned.

"I don't _mind_ that he's an enormous poof," Ron protested as he pulled out two apples from a bowl of fruit. "If he starts going with Terry Boot, say, or Oliver Wood, I'll be the first to invite them for a Butterbeer." His eyes went hazy as he gazed out into the garden and polished one of the apples on his shirt. "Wouldn't mind if it was Oliver Wood Percy fancied. Bet he could get us excellent seats to Puddlemere's matches."

Bill blinked. Right, so obviously Ron shouldn't be the one to talk to Percy, not if the conversation was going to devolve into talk of poofs and free Quidditch tickets. "What about Ginny? She was always close to Perce. I mean, apart from pelting him with parsnips that one Christmas supper."

His mother shook her head. "Ginny's travelling with the Harpies, remember? She won't be home for weeks."

Right, so Ginny was out; Ron would be abysmal at the task; George was busy at his shops --

"Charlie," Bill said suddenly. "He's perfect for it, really; he'll be here tomorrow for a month or two, and nothing to do but relax."

"And if Percy goes mental when he asks, Charlie won't have to bear it much since he'd be leaving in a few weeks anyway," Ron put in.

"That settles it; both Bill and Charlie will talk to Percy together." Molly wiped at her forehead with the serviette, looking relieved.

"Me? But I thought we'd settled on Charlie doing it alone. Mum, I've my hands full with Victoire."

Molly's eyes gleamed. "If you've time to take away from work, then you've time enough for this."

Ron crunched an apple and nodded at Bill. "She's got you there, mate."

 

 

* * *

 

 

"She wants us to what?" Charlie asked.

"Take hold of Victoire, would you?" Bill handed his baby over to his brother and reached into his pocket for the galleons to pay the shopkeeper.

"I'm the muscle in all this, aren't I?" Charlie grinned and flexed his arms, making Victoire giggle as he shifted her about. "Mum wants me to look a bit menacing in case Percy doesn't want to spill his deepest darkest secrets."

"No, it's just that neither of us have anything better to do, you see, with you being on holiday, and me raising Victoire for a lark while I skive off work."

Charlie handed the baby over at Bill's gesture, and followed as Bill began walking down Diagon Alley. "What exactly does she want us to find out?"

Bill made a face. He'd hoped to avoid the actual topic of confrontation for a while yet. Charlie had only arrived that morning, and Bill wanted to spend the time catching up, not plotting how they were going to corner Percy and make him confide in them. The sooner they dealt with the matter, though, the sooner their mum would leave them be to enjoy the remainder of Charlie's stay. "Well you see, that's the thing --" he began as they turned the corner.

"Watch where you're going!" a voice shouted in alarm.

Something brushed against Bill, but between balancing Victoire and his purchases, he couldn't tell what. Next to him, Charlie gave a surprised grunt. The sound of objects clattering against the cobblestone walk soon followed.

After shifting the baby to his shoulder, Bill looked down to see a young man they had in their haste somehow bumbled into sprawled on the ground, sneering up at them. Something about him looked familiar, though Bill couldn't quite place it. Too young to have been at Hogwarts with him or Charlie -- maybe he was from the twins' year?

"Pardon--" Bill began.

"Weasleys," the man on the ground grumbled as he took in the state of his packages scattered around him. "Of course; you're just the sort of wizards who would go around knocking into people trying to finish their shopping unmolested." He spotted Victoire in Bill's arms, and his eyes narrowed. "Spawning already, are we?"

With those words, Bill recognized the cold grey eyes and pointed chin: it was Lucius Malfoy's son. The family had allegedly reformed since Voldemort's downfall, quietly supporting charities to rebuild their tattered reputations and backing away from political involvement to avoid scrutiny. But any improvement in their status in the eyes of the general public meant nothing to Bill if Malfoy insulted his daughter.

"Now you wait just a minute," Bill said in a quiet voice. He glanced about for Charlie, ready to hand the baby over if need be.

"There, there, you're all right," Charlie said briskly. In the space of a moment, he levered Malfoy to his feet, gathered his packages, and began to dust off Malfoy's dark green cloak.

"Get your hands off me," Malfoy spat. His face had gone red as he clutched his packages close.

Charlie merely grinned in return as he took a step back. For some reason this made Malfoy go redder.

"You could say thank you," Bill noted.

"What, when you were the ones to knock me down?"

"I already tried to apologize -- oh, come on, Charlie."

They walked off in the direction of The Leaky Cauldron. When Bill glanced back, Malfoy stood in the same spot, staring after them with the strangest look on his face.

* * *

"You know, you never did tell me what Mum wants us to grill Percy about. And seeing as he's due for dinner here tonight, it might help if I knew."

"You did not tell heem?" Fleur asked as she arranged greens for a salad. She had already cooed over Victoire upon arriving at the Cottage from work, and carried her off for bath and bed an hour earlier. Now she sat sipping the glass of wine Bill had fetched for her with a contented air.

"We haven't had time," Bill said in distraction. He was trying to remember how many shallots he had added to the Dijon sauce when he'd last prepared _steak au poivre_.

Charlie cut potatoes at the other counter in a whirr of confident motions. Bill imagined he had a great deal of practice wielding a paring knife, as the people on the preserve often ate large communal meals. As Charlie swept the last of the potato into a pot of water, he said, "I thought you were avoiding it, mate. Is it something complicated?"

"Er, well, not exactly --"

"Your mother theenks Percy prefers men to women," Fleur said placidly. "I do not know why, except for the strange way zee English regard men who take care with their _toilette_."

"Percy, gay?" Charlie laughed. "Not that one. He's always liked girls."

"Mum thinks that's all an act and part of his reason for ignoring the family."

Charlie caught the cloth Bill threw his way and wiped his hands. "No, I really am sure. Percy fancies girls."

"Why ees dat?" Fleur asked.

"Well, he was a fourth-year when I was a seventh at Hogwarts. I would have noticed."

Bill frowned. "It is possible he _thought_ he liked girls then, but came to his senses later."

Charlie looked thoughtful, but then shook his head. "No, don't think so, not in his case."

Bill folded his arms. It had puzzled him when his mother jumped so surely to the conclusion Percy was gay, but now he felt impatient with Charlie for assuming Percy couldn't be gay. "There's nothing wrong with it, you know. In any case, we're going to talk to him about it tonight.

"Can't say I’m not glad you feel there's nothing wrong with it, but I still say it's a waste of our time," Charlie declared.

" _Why_ are you so certain of that? Maybe you and Percy were at school together, but years have gone by, and you don't know him well now."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "If it's not already obvious, it's because --"

Just then the doorbell sounded.

"Eet is a bit early for Percy to arrive," Fleur murmured, glancing at the kitchen clock.

"I'll go and greet him," Bill said, tossing the cloth he had wiped his hands on to the side.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When he got to the door, Bill stopped cold.

" _Malfoy_? What do you think you're doing here?"

For it was Malfoy's son standing outside, wearing a high-collared expensive grey robe, and scowling. He tipped his chin up in what looked like a gesture of attempting to even out the height difference between them. "What, you have something about a Malfoy at your home? Going to summon the Aurors?"

"What?" Bill raised an eyebrow and stood a bit taller. "No, I can handle the likes of you myself if it comes to that. But what on earth do you want?"

"Hey, Perce, it's been -- oh. Hallo." Charlie joined Bill, leaning against the doorframe and casting a quick look his way before focusing on their unexpected guest.

As Charlie crossed his arms, Bill could have sworn he saw him flex his muscles. Not that Bill didn't appreciate a show of strength to lend support, but if Malfoy were there to cause trouble, Bill would put a stop to it on his own.

"The other day when you knocked me down in Diagon Alley," Malfoy began. His eyes flickered to Charlie, and he swallowed.

"Oh Lord, you're not on about that are you?" Bill asked in irritation. "Next thing, you'll tell us we're summoned before the Wizengamot for the offense of dirtying your fine robes."

"What?" Malfoy glanced back at Bill, but quickly shifted his gaze back to Charlie. Bill could understand that. Charlie's work with dragons had added obvious brawn to his already muscular frame. He probably seemed a dangerous man to meet in a fight.

"Oh, he's not here for that. It's that . . . package of his I took by mistake." Charlie favored Malfoy with a pleasant smile.

Bill scratched his head in confusion. "His package?"

"Yes!" Malfoy's face brightened, as though he had finally sorted his purpose in calling at Shell Cottage. "When you jostled me, you, well, you took something of mine in the confusion. I've, er, come to get it, if you still have it."

"Oh, I've something of yours, most certainly," Charlie said in a low voice.

Draco flushed, casting his eyes down as he fidgeted with the mother-of-pearl buttons on his cream-colored gloves.

"Wait a moment." Bill turned to Charlie. He felt as though the conversation had got away from him somehow. "I don't remember you bringing any sort of package that turned out not to be yours back here."

"Ah, well. You were busy with Victoire."

Bill's brow furrowed as he tried to recall that scenario.

"You know, I've got it round back, if you want it," Charlie offered.

"What, in the shed?" Bill asked in confusion.

"I want it," Malfoy mumbled.

Charlie grinned and tilted his head towards the garden. "Come on, then."

Bill stuck his hands in his pockets and watched the unexpected sight of Malfoy trotting to keep up with Charlie's easy strides around the back of the house.

"Bill?"

"Hmmm?" He turned to find his next-youngest brother standing beside him. "Oh, Percy! Glad you're here. I must have missed you Apparating somehow."

"Yes, well." Percy submitted to being hugged, giving Bill an awkward pat on his shoulder almost as an after thought as Bill released him. "Bill . . . was that Draco Malfoy I spotted headed towards your garden?"

Bill smacked his hand on the post next to him. " _Draco_ , that's his name. I've been trying to remember who he was, aside from Malfoy's son. I thought I remembered him being in your year, but it was Ron always going on about him, now that I think on it."

Percy waved a hand in the air impatiently, much like their mother's familiar gesture of dismissal. "The point being, what is he doing _here_?"

"I dunno, exactly. He turned up a little while ago, saying Charlie had taken something of his by mistake the other day. Though, come to think of it, Charlie was the one who cleared up what Draco wanted here. Odd, that. Charlie never mentioned the situation when it occurred, but I suppose I am more distracted with Victoire than I imagine."

Percy glanced in the direction of the garden path, and then gave a fussy sort of snort. "He's only been in the country for two days, and already he's --" He paused at Bill's questioning look.

"He's what?"

"Oh, nothing." Percy puffed out his chest. "Shall we go inside? I've been waiting to tell Fleur how very impressed Indigo Jenkins at the Ministry is with her fine International Wizarding Relations work. Why, just the other day, when I handed him my report on how regular twig maintenance impacts the vital matter of flight trajectory, he said --" Percy's voice faded as he moved further inside.

"Yeah, all right." Before he went in, Bill peered back to see if Charlie and Draco Malfoy were headed back to the front of the house. But there was no sign of either of them, so he shrugged and followed Percy down the hallway.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Everyzing is ready!" Fleur exclaimed when she saw Percy and Bill. "But whar is Charlie?"

"He --" Bill shook his head. "It's not worth going into, but he had to speak to someone. We won't have to wait long."

As soon as Percy finished kissing Fleur's cheeks he said, "Well, if it's all the same to you, I'm absolutely famished, and everything looks delicious. Surely Charlie wouldn't mind if we began without him?" Without waiting for an answer, he held out Fleur's chair, and motioned for Bill to be seated.

"We will not stand on ceremonee just thees once," Fleur agreed with a captivating smile.

They handed round the platters as Percy exclaimed over Fleur's recently acclaimed work, and started to eat to the accompaniment of Percy's story about proposing a clever solution to his superior at work that day.

As they continued with their meal they discussed recent changes in the hierarchy at Gringotts, debated the pros and cons of Flooing to the newer tavern recently opened in Diagon Alley for the purposes of commuting to work, and made plans to attend the next Holyhead Harpies game so they could cheer on Ginny when the team returned to their home pitch.

Bill took part in the conversation in distraction, waiting for any sort of appropriate opening into the topic he knew he had to address. He had hope Charlie's arrival at the table would help things along, but for whatever reason, Charlie had yet to join them even though they were well into the meal. Bill hadn't time to worry about that, though, not when he wanted to be finished with the matter of prying into Percy's life as soon as possible.

Finally, when no helpful lead-in to his questions came up, Bill took advantage of a lull and put in, " _Speaking_ of old school mates --"

Fleur and Percy paused, their forks poised mid-air.

"But we whar not speaking of zat," Fleur told him kindly.

"Mum said you acted odd when you learned your school girlfriend was getting married," Bill persisted.

Percy seemed puzzled for a moment. "Penelope? We ended things years ago."

Bill swallowed and pushed the matter forward. "Because you weren't attracted to her?"

Percy gave him an odd look, but answered politely. "Oh, no, that wasn't the case, not in the slightest. She's a lovely girl, and really quite intelligent. Ravenclaw, you know. It was only that I met someone to whom I was more attracted."

It was on the tip of Bill's tongue to prompt, "And he was called . . . ?"

Before he could speak, however, Fleur interrupted with "Was zat Audrey?"

"No, that was Charlotte. Then there was Laurel, and Sakiko, and Beatrix." Percy screwed his mouth up as though thinking. "And Hortense, in between Laurel and Sakiko."

Bill had to tell himself to close his mouth. The list of names hadn't included any remotely male, and in fact counted a few more women than Bill had dated before meeting Fleur.

"So many women you cannot keep track, hmm?" Fleur gave Bill a look full of merriment. "No wondehrr you were not ready to be married."

"I was young and meeting so many available women at Ministry functions." Percy sighed. "For a while, it was quite the whirlwind of socializing, with scarcely a thought for marriage. I'm sure stronger men have resisted such dalliances, but I'm afraid I wasn't one of them at that age."

"Still, acting relieved on hearing Penelope was getting married," Bill started. He paused, not quite remembering what his mother's logic had been there. Something about how various women might have been a cover for Percy's preference for wizards, he thought, though he supposed their mother wasn't aware of just how _many_ women had been part of Percy's past.

"Well, you couldn't have expected me to react poorly to that news, not when it provided an easier path for Audrey and me. Audrey and Penelope were close friends when they were young, and I actually met Audrey at a tea at Penelope's flat." Percy sniffed and straightened his shirt-sleeves. "Most awkward, particularly when at the time Penelope insisted I only showed interest in Audrey to provoke her jealousy. I'm sure you can understand why Penelope's recent nuptials are welcome news. I'm certain now she won't raise any fuss when Audrey and I become engaged."

"Audrey and you are to be married?" Fleur asked. "This is very fine news!"

"Well, I hope we are." Percy's cheeks flushed, but he sat up straighter in his chair. "I was quite glad when you asked me to dinner, Bill, because I hoped to get your advice, yours and Fleur's both, on how I ought to propose to Audrey."

"Propose?" Bill repeated, feeling again as though he was lost in yet another conversation. He took a fortifying swallow of wine. "And here was Mum worried because you weren't talking about marriage yet."

"Oh, well," Percy folded his serviette and placed it on the table and laughed. "At this point, she's probably worried that I’m gay."

Bill choked on his wine.

"Now, why would she assume zat?" Fleur said lightly.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Well, just as Bill said. She's so focused on all of us being settled. Not having a girlfriend or no evidence of being obviously headed towards matrimony --she's the sort to worry excessively at that kind of thing. Besides, I knew she wouldn't approve of me seeing a number of girls before choosing the right one for me, so I've never informed her of my various romantic entanglements from those years. Look how much she's angling for Ron to marry Hermione, and Harry Ginny, when they've had hardly any experience dating other people." He sniffed in disdain. "If you ask me, that's not the ideal point from which to enter into a permanent union."

"Eet ees interesting zat your mother never questioned Charlie," Fleur remarked. "He nevahr speaks of marriage or girlfriends."

There was a pause.

"Charlie works with dragons," Bill clarified.

"I know zat! You remember how I encountered the Common Welsh Green in zee Tournament, and he was zee one who brought all zee dragons to 'Ogwarts."

"Yes, and a splendid job you did of it, too," Bill hurried to assure her. "I just mean, well, a man who works with dragons --"

"What about men who work with dragons?" Charlie slipped into the room and took a seat across from Percy.

"Where did you go off to?" Bill demanded. "We've just about finished without you."

"Oh, well, you know Draco stopped by."

"For the package," Bill said.

"Yeah. So we got to reminiscing about school days."

Percy looked interested, almost as if he had a joke to tell. "But you weren't at school with Draco Malfoy."

Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. "Still. Same school, wasn't it?"

"I suppose it was," Percy murmured.

"What am I -- how have you been, Perce?" Charlie asked, getting out of his chair to go round the table and clap Percy into a hearty hug.

"Good to see you, Charlie," Percy said with all sincerity.

"And _viola_ , now you do not have to talk about zee matter at all," Fleur whispered as she moved to stand behind Bill and kiss his cheek.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Charlie got ready to leave early to meet up with old school friends.

"If you return after noon, don't be surprised when you find the house empty," Bill told him before he departed. "We'll all be back in time for dinner by about six o'clock."

"Do you have to go into work?" Charlie asked curiously.

"No, no -- leave of absence, remember? On Thursdays Victoire and I have a standard appointment to see Teddy and Andromeda so the children can play together and have a nice long nap after."

"Noon to six, you say?" Charlie asked in an off-hand manner as he was about to climb into the Floo.

"Yes," Bill affirmed as try to wheedle Victoire into eating more of her cereal. "See you then!"

When Bill and Victoire arrived at Andromeda's, it turned out that poor Teddy had all of a sudden come over ill with a fever. At Andromeda's urging, Bill took his daughter and left quickly, lest she catch the same infection.

Suddenly faced with a free afternoon, Bill decided to take Victoire to the Diagon Alley WWW shop. They happened to walk in just as Verity returned from her luncheon, and George readily agreed to join them for an outing to a small curry shop nearby.

A number of times during the meal Bill found himself distracted from the talk of New and Improved Skiving Snackboxes as he remembered the conversation with Percy of last night. He would not have thought Percy the type to have a string of girls, but there it was. If Percy had been in contact with all of them instead of estranged from his parents and siblings, perhaps it would have been clear what was afoot, and their mother would never have worried about Percy's inclinations.

Then again, Bill realized as George insisted on paying, he knew nothing of Charlie's conquests, of which he was sure there must be a number, and they _had_ been in contact all those years. It shouldn't be hard to guess what it must have been like, though; it wasn't for nothing that a number of witches' romance novels featured dragon tamers who could only themselves be tamed by a strong woman's love. In fact, seeing as how Percy had so many flings, it stood to reason that Charlie was even more of a ladies'-man.

By the time Bill stepped out of the grate at home, Victoire was cranky from the bustle of Diagon Alley. Bill quickly set her down in her play-pen, where she at once fell asleep.

"Might as well take care of a few chores," Bill said to himself as he began climbing the stairs.

He had made it up half-way when he heard a broken, high-pitched whisper: "Oh god, yes, _Charlie_!"

Bill stopped in his tracks.

The sound was coming from his bedroom, but who would be saying -- was it _Fleur_ with Charlie, in the very bed she shared with Bill? He had never suspected his wife in the slightest. But could things be different now that her husband, instead of regaling her with tales of curses and tombs and treasure, had only stories of Victoire's teething to entertain her?

But Fleur would never -- would she? He'd been thinking less than an hour ago how many women Charlie must have passed the time with over the years -- would Fleur be susceptible to that whole dragon-tamer cliché?

His mind racing, he flung open the door.

"Holy fuck," he shouted when he saw his brother Charlie naked in the middle of the bed -- with Draco Malfoy underneath him.

"You're home early," Charlie panted. "Mind giving us a moment?"

"What are you doing in my bed?" Bill yelled. "And what -- what the hell is going on?"

"Look, could you find another place to scream for five minutes?" Draco demanded. "We're rather busy, as you can see."

Bill gaped at him, and then quickly looked away. Seeing Draco Malfoy fully clothed was unwelcome enough; he had no wish to observe all the details of a naked Draco who had his arms and legs wrapped around his brother.

"You're having sex with men? What was wrong with your bed in the guest-room?" Bill asked incredulously.

"What are you still _doing here_?" Draco asked in a petulant voice, grasping Charlie's shoulder to pull him closer. "He can answer all your ridiculous questions later."

"Well, it's only a twin bed in the guest room, now, isn't it?" Charlie shifted, having the good grace to look at least slightly embarrassed -- or perhaps he was just red from the exertion.

Then Charlie shifted again.

"Oh Christ," Draco whispered. He tipped his head back and moaned.

Before Bill could see any more, he slammed the door and pounded down the stairs.

Breathing hard, he sank into a chair at the kitchen table, letting his head fall into his hands.

"Bill, I just wanted to thank -- what's wrong?" Percy's voice asked in concern.

"Perce?" He looked up to see Percy's head hovering in the fire. "Nothing, I’m fine."

"You look like you just saw something awful," Percy said.

Bill snorted. Then he laughed.

"Bill?" Percy sounded a bit panicked, though it was hard for Bill to tell through his hysterical laughing.

"No, no, it's all right," he said at last, wiping his eyes. "I've just seen something a bit unexpected is all." He moved to sit on the floor so he could more easily speak to his brother.

"Well, for that I'm sorry," Percy said with warm sympathy.

"Perce, would you have ever suspected Charlie was gay?" Bill asked suddenly.

"Well, of course Charlie's gay," Percy said in a reasonable voice.

" _What_?"

"Always has been, as far as I know. In fact, I thought you knew as well, but something you said yesterday made me think -- well." Percy cleared his throat.

Bill held out a hand in a gesture of halting whatever his brother was going to say next. "Wait a moment. You knew! And he knew! When we -- he said you liked women!"

"Obviously I like women, Bill," Percy said in a slow patient voice, as though Bill were a ten-year old who had yet to get his Hogwarts letter.

"I know, but -- I just meant --"

"I was fourteen when Charlie was in his last year at Hogwarts," Percy said. "You had already left, and I was still getting teased sometimes. He looked out for me, so I often followed him about and asked his advice." He shook his head. "Of course I picked the wrong time for that just before Christmas, when I came to find him after a Quidditch game and caught him with his trousers down in the broom shed with Ethan Atwood."

Bill snickered. He had a hazy memory of Ethan, a slight blond Hufflepuff boy in Charlie's year. "What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing, then -- I was too busy tripping over my feet trying to get out of their way -- but later we spoke of it. So I've known since then, and I suppose because I knew about Charlie, it made us closer. He was the only one --" Percy hesitated.

Bill ran a hand through his hair. "Percy, were you in touch with Charlie when you weren't speaking to the rest of us?"

Percy sighed. "Not all that much, but a bit. Charlie thought I was wrong about siding with Fudge; I could tell where he stood. But we avoided all that for the most part, just wrote back and forth of day-to-day sorts of things. I know now I was wrong about the way I thought back then, but . . . I think Charlie knew what it was like, to feel like I had nothing in common with the rest of the family."

Bill nodded slowly. "Right." He thought of saying he was sorry, that at least he could have let Percy know somehow it was all right for them to speak even Percy had broken ranks with them during that time. Perhaps things might have turned out differently. Or maybe he should say he was sorry he hadn't thought much about what it was like to have nothing in common with the rest of the family, as both Charlie and Percy were forced to.

But before he could raise either subject, Percy asked shrewdly, "Did you stumble upon Charlie carrying on with someone just now?"

"Too obvious with the 'Did you know Charlie was gay?' question, wasn't I?"

Percy laughed. "Your _face_! Lord, you should have seen what you looked like!"

"What, you must have looked much the same when you found Charlie and Ethan Whoosis!"

"But I was only fourteen years old," Percy said with a smile. "You're a curse-breaker, a man of the world with a wife from another country. You've got a job that lets you stay at home with your daughter when most wizards leave their wives to do the child-rearing and don't think any more of it."

"Well, when you put it like that," Bill joked. "I am a remarkably sophisticated individual."

"There you are," Percy encouraged him.

"I caught him in my bed naked with Draco Malfoy," Bill commented.

Percy looked horrified. "In your _bed_?"

"Well, _thank you_ ," Bill said self-righteously. "I notice you don't seem bothered by the Draco Malfoy part, though," he added after a moment.

"Well, but then when Charlie came in after we'd finished eating last night, I was in a perfect position to see Draco Malfoy through the window, slinking out of your garden with his face ablaze and his robe on inside-out," Percy admitted.

Bill sat back on his heels and laughed. "You know, I think Charlie even tried to tell me? Not about Draco, but about himself. Now that I think on it, there were a few times -- we kept getting interrupted, though."

"Well, that part you can't help," Percy advised. "There's always something going in our family, isn't there?"

"I'm going to wring his neck for using my bed, though."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "That seems more than fair to me, but don't you think you ought to spend a bit of time washing the bedclothes before Fleur returns home?"

Bill smacked his forehead and groaned.

 

 

* * *

 

 

That night, he had the windows open airing out the room while Fleur firecalled his mother to announce proudly what a wonderful husband she had. For not only did he take care of their daughter so perfectly, he had actually taken the time during Victoire's nap to scrub their bedroom from floor to ceiling for no other reason than to make their home comfortable by the time Fleur returned from work.

"You're not going to keep on with Draco Malfoy?" Bill asked Charlie later, as they sat out back, passing a bottle of Firewhiskey back and forth.

"Might do," Charlie shrugged. Then he grinned. "He happens to be a wildcat in --"

"Stop right there," Bill ordered.

"You don't want to hear the details because I'm a queer," Charlie said in a faux-affronted tone.

"I don't want to hear the details because he's a Malfoy," Bill corrected him. "Now. You're here for a month or more, so you think of a way to tell Mum Percy's nearly engaged, you're seeing Lucius Malfoy's son, and I might ask for another year off work so I can keep on caring for Victoire."

"Ouch," Charlie said with his hand over his heart. "You really know how to treat a guest."

Bill waved his hand in the air in a gesture of dismissal. "Welcome home."

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [**lgbtfest**](http://lgbtfest.livejournal.com/) fic exchange. The original prompt was: _The Weasleys always suspected that Percy was a bit queer. Contrary to their expectations, he continued to date women. Charlie finally decided to come out to his family after the war. To his frustration, none of them took him seriously._ Actually, in a hilarious mix-up, I chose a prompt that the mods had somehow combined from two separate prompts (they only realized this after I posted my story). But I think it was all for the best, as the twin plots of how the family worried about Percy's sexuality versus their misunderstanding of Charlie's sexuality was great fun to work with in this story.


End file.
